Suddenly all was silent. It was as if, time just froze. The lightning that was licking between the black mist above stopped. Not disappearing, but just stopping in place.
The dust, rubble, and wind also stopped below. Makes everything feel surreal and disturbing.
Clyde had beheaded the Outer God. Now the head also stopped rolling and became a disgusting piece of cow's head with a thick black liquid coming out of the neck lump. The black blood stopped before it fell to the ground.
However, even though the entire environment stopped moving, the Players were still able to move normally. It was as if they were in a different space and time. Isolated from the outside world.
Clyde immediately deactivated all of his Skills and stopped using his Magic Power. He is now just sitting on uneven ground with a weak body.
He even dropped the Elderglass Sword next to him. Then use both hands to lean back.
He looked up at the sky with droopy tired eyes. His breath was long but slow, he wanted to expel all his fatigue with every breath.
Clyde is actually still not sure whether this is all over or not. But his body was too tired to even maintain an alert stance.
Clyde looked up from the sky and looked around. His eyes widened as he realized that everything around him had been frozen in time.
'What is going on?' Clyde wondered. Realizing that this was not normal, he grabbed the Elderglass Sword hilt and stood up.
Asqa and Sonya run toward him. Between the two of them, Asqa was the one who ran the fastest toward Clyde. Her worried face seemed to have become an expression that was always there.
Clyde didn't know what to say other than just wait for the two of them to arrive. A moment later after they arrived, Asqa asked.
Clyde was quite surprised to hear that question because he thought Asqa would ask whether the Outer God was dead or not. Instead, she gives a remark about his condition.
"I'm fine," answered Clyde because he felt it was the simplest answer to explain his current situation. Though, he doesn't feel actually fine.
His Magic Power was depleting and many wounds on his body continued to sting. But Clyde felt he didn't have enough energy to explain it all.
However, it turned out that Asqa didn't need more answers to do what she was supposed to do.
Asqa immediately held Clyde's shoulder, which suffered from a large scratch wound until the skin in that part disappeared, leaving flesh that continued to bleed.
Asqa started the process of healing him. She didn't even ask Clyde if he needed healing. Asqa just did it based on her concerns. So Clyde let her.
"What is happening right now?" Sonya asked while continuing to look around her.
She was also walking towards Clyde but her eyes couldn't stop looking at the strange things going on around him.
"I don't know," said Clyde.
Sonya looked at him, then at the giant body of the Outer God lying headless behind him. "Did you manage to kill it?"
"I think so." Clyde did behead the Outer God. But he couldn't be so sure because there could be other surprises popping up.
Sonya's eyes then moved to the head that looked like a cow's head with a mouth that opened to five parts. The head lay not far from the Outer God's body with its eyes still open but having lost all life.
"I thought you killed it, Clyde," Sonya said in a relieved tone.
"Don't get too relieved just yet," said Clyde curtly.
Sonya immediately took his words as a hint that maybe something was up. But for Sonya, it was for later.
Now, after going through many hardships and terror when the Outer God was still awake and attacking, she saw the Outer God lying helplessly with its head cut off. Sonya certainly would be relieved by that.
A moment later the Regressors also walked closer to them. But their expressions looked difficult to look straight at Clyde and the others.
'At least they still have shame.' Sonya thought sarcastically. She immediately looked away as soon as they got closer.
"We're really sorry," Rodney was the first to say between them. "We want to help but we're not as strong as you. And we're afraid that we'll end up being a nuisance."
"It's fine," Clyde said. He didn't expect them to help. What Rodney said was true. They just weren't strong enough.
Clyde even had to use his [Title] activating after using Demonic Power and Nightmare Orb. He also had to pour his Magic Power until it was nearly used up and barely beat the Outer God.
If he came to that, the Regressors couldn't do any better. Clyde knew all too well about that. And if he were they he would do the same.
Asqa who has finished healing his shoulder is now kneeling. She immediately attended to Clyde's feet without saying anything. Clyde didn't even realize his shoulder had healed.
"Now what happened?" Clyde asked the Regressors.
"We don't know either. What we experienced wasn't so far in the previous turns" Rodney replied.
Clyde looked around. Somehow, even after beheading the Outer God, Clyde still couldn't rest easy.
There's still something to come. And he who knew nothing about it felt an anxiety that grew worse every second.
Everything around them became stagnant as if the world had stopped working. Then, what should they do after this?
'There's no way we're just going to be stuck in here, right?' thought Clyde with growing dread.
But the feeling of fear and worry was answered not long after. A white vortex with a black center appeared in front of them.
After that, a notification appeared in their respective visions.
[ Congratulations! You are players who have completed the End Times Game! ]
[ You are welcome to enter the Portal to the Judgment Ground. There, all your achievements will be summarized in an assessment to determine your Grade! ]
After seeing the notification, they looked at each other. Worried about whether they should step into that suspicious-looking vortex - Portal.
But then Clyde said. "Let's go. We've managed to finish everything here."
That meant that he had indeed succeeded in killing the Outer God, their greatest obstacle. Now it's time for them to move to another location.
Clyde thought that this was definitely the goal after this apocalypse. Whatever was waiting for him behind the Portal was the only way.
Rodney and the Regressors also seemed relieved to know something that seemed to be a way out of all their suffering so far.
Reed, Eric, and Mona went ahead. But Rodney chose to walk behind.
Next to them Clyde, Sonya, and Asqa also started walking toward the portal. Which will take them to an unknown place.
Asqa seemed hesitant to enter, but then Sonya grabbed her arm and gave a smile. With that smile, Asqa was able to let go of her anxiety a bit.
Sonya nodded as a sign that they should boldly enter now. Asqa returned the nod and then turned to Clyde.
As usual, Clyde was still with his hard-to-read straight face staring at the portal. Asqa felt there was no need to worry about him.
So she and Sonya stepped first into the portal. A moment later they disappeared from that place.
Clyde exhaled. Then, knowing that there was no destination other than the portal, he started walking.
However, before he could actually enter the portal, a sword pierced his chest from behind.
Clyde looked down and saw the tip of the katana blade pierce his chest.
He tried to turn his head with great difficulty. And seeing the faces of Reed, Mona, and Eric, they looked shocked.
"Rodney? What the fuck?!" Reed asked, in disbelief.
Rodney pulled his sword from Clyde's chest, letting Clyde fall to the rough ground.
Clyde was still able to support his body so he didn't fall completely. Instead, he knelt with an expression of pain.
"We have to get rid of him if we want to get the best results in this Selection Stage," Rodney said to his Regressors friends.
"W-What?" Mona looked dumbfounded.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys. But this apocalypse is a selection to determine our place in the world we're going to go after this," Rodney explained.
What Rodney said was still so hard for them to accept. Clyde too, because it turns out that Rodney knows a lot more than he thought.
But now there was something more important for him to worry about. The wound on his chest was so painful. But he couldn't just let this go.
Clyde gripped the hilt of the Elderglass Sword tightly. Then using all of his remaining Magic Power.
The dark red lightning shot out again to envelop Clyde's body and he stood up.
Rodney knew that Clyde would not give up without a fight.
"Let's kill him. That way we can get a good reward after going through all this suffering," said Rodney to his Regressors friends.